Some Things to Consider...

Relocating your home to rural Delta County may be more complicated than simply moving from one town to another. Where a simple chat with next door neighbors will get the basic ups and downs of life in your traditional neighborhood, each community in our valley has variations in philosophy, as well
as regulations
For example, the Town of Paonia and the Town of Hotchkiss both have zoning ordinances and Master Plans that should be considered. Each local municipality has individual requirements that should be researched and a visit to Town hall will help you understand the issues.
On the other hand, relocating your home to rural Delta County involves other issues that you may want to pay attention to.
For those considering building a home, Delta County does not presently require building permits for residential or agricultural buildings, although
other permits (not codes) may be instituted in the future. This can make building less complicated than in many other areas; however, you will need to be aware that a new home requires a county permit for a septic system, as well as plumbing and electrical inspections by a state inspector. You may also need a driveway permit, which is not necessarily a rubber stamp process. You should contact the Delta County Planning Department to make certain that you have all approvals in place before starting your project.
In addition, issues such as density and lot sizes are overseen by the county and it’s only practical to consider things such as: domestic water, sewer, and irrigation water early in the process.
As in most of the West, water is our life-blood and should be at the top of your due diligence list. Whether you’ll be using municipal water, irrigation water or water provided by private water companies it is necessary to contact the relevant entities to make sure of both availability and restrictions.
There are a multitude of different water sources and the availability, limitations and costs are just as extensive.
Also, new wells do require well permits obtained from the State, and may require additional expense in obtaining leased “augmentation”water in order to have your well permit approved since the North Fork area is currently over-appropriated.
Business relocation requires all of the above diligence and a tad more. Businesses to be located in a municipality may be required to go through a municipal review process. Paonia has specific use zoning and a special review process. Hotchkiss has a Change of Use process for all new business uses, as well as zoning.
For those considering a business location in rural Delta County, there is a review process that must be undertaken. Your first step is to contact the Delta County Planning Department (970 874-2110) to get a copy of their Land Use regulations, which apply to all new commercial uses in the unincorporated county.
The review is performance based, with standards based on compatibility with nearby uses and ability to mitigate any negative impacts. It’s three step process: 1) Review by one of the three local Area Planning Committees who will make a recommendation to the County Planning Commission, 2) your application will be considered by the County Planning Commission which will approve or disapprove the plan and 3) if approved by the County Planning Commission, your application will be referred to the County Commissioners for a final decision.
You can search Local Real Estate LISTINGS but visiting with a knowledgeable local Realtor can be helpful as well.
as regulations
For example, the Town of Paonia and the Town of Hotchkiss both have zoning ordinances and Master Plans that should be considered. Each local municipality has individual requirements that should be researched and a visit to Town hall will help you understand the issues.
On the other hand, relocating your home to rural Delta County involves other issues that you may want to pay attention to.
For those considering building a home, Delta County does not presently require building permits for residential or agricultural buildings, although
other permits (not codes) may be instituted in the future. This can make building less complicated than in many other areas; however, you will need to be aware that a new home requires a county permit for a septic system, as well as plumbing and electrical inspections by a state inspector. You may also need a driveway permit, which is not necessarily a rubber stamp process. You should contact the Delta County Planning Department to make certain that you have all approvals in place before starting your project.
In addition, issues such as density and lot sizes are overseen by the county and it’s only practical to consider things such as: domestic water, sewer, and irrigation water early in the process.
As in most of the West, water is our life-blood and should be at the top of your due diligence list. Whether you’ll be using municipal water, irrigation water or water provided by private water companies it is necessary to contact the relevant entities to make sure of both availability and restrictions.
There are a multitude of different water sources and the availability, limitations and costs are just as extensive.
Also, new wells do require well permits obtained from the State, and may require additional expense in obtaining leased “augmentation”water in order to have your well permit approved since the North Fork area is currently over-appropriated.
Business relocation requires all of the above diligence and a tad more. Businesses to be located in a municipality may be required to go through a municipal review process. Paonia has specific use zoning and a special review process. Hotchkiss has a Change of Use process for all new business uses, as well as zoning.
For those considering a business location in rural Delta County, there is a review process that must be undertaken. Your first step is to contact the Delta County Planning Department (970 874-2110) to get a copy of their Land Use regulations, which apply to all new commercial uses in the unincorporated county.
The review is performance based, with standards based on compatibility with nearby uses and ability to mitigate any negative impacts. It’s three step process: 1) Review by one of the three local Area Planning Committees who will make a recommendation to the County Planning Commission, 2) your application will be considered by the County Planning Commission which will approve or disapprove the plan and 3) if approved by the County Planning Commission, your application will be referred to the County Commissioners for a final decision.
You can search Local Real Estate LISTINGS but visiting with a knowledgeable local Realtor can be helpful as well.